World So Cold
by Shimmerbreeze
Summary: "It's such a sad thing, seeing that bright light go out..." Beth dies, but not before letting Daryl know how she feels. Now he's left alone to deal with this.


_**~World So Cold~**_

**~A Walking Dead Fanfiction~**

**Bethyl **

**Rated M for violence and gore **

**One-shot **

***WARNING* SPOILERS**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE WALKING DEAD**

_***S***_

_"One gets over the loss of a wallet, or a watch. But the loss of a loved one... That will_never _leave you." _

**_~Ziva David_**

**~Beth~**

I sighed as I changed clothes. Dawn had came in, told me to change, and then started to walk back out. I had to stop her and ask what was going on to get a straight answer. "You're leaving," was all she said. It was from another officer whispering to someone else that I found out that Rick and Daryl were coming for us. Carol and I that is. I straightened my pants leg over my boots and stood up. I reach in between the mattress for the pair of scissors hidden there. I didn't think I'd need them, but... better to be safe than sorry right? Walking out into the hallway, I saw Dawn pushing Carol out of her room in a I walked over to them, she passed the chair to me. Carol reached up and grabbed my hand. We smiled at each other tentatively.

"It'll be alright Beth," She said. "Daryl will get us out." She spoke with such convention, that I believed for a moment that everything would be okay, but this was real life. Not a dream, and Dawn ran things. She wasn't likely to let us go that easily... right? I took a deep breath and nodded, all I could manage at this point. I followed Dawn as she led us down the maze of hallways, pushing Carol ahead of me. A inexplicable feeling of dread filled me, and no matter what kind of calming thoughts I had, it wouldn't go away.

So, I thought about Daryl, about how he would come in here, guns blazing and save me... Uh, us. I had missed him. I thought about Maggie, who was likely to be on his heels. I couldn't wait to hug my sister. And Judith, not that they were likely to bring her in here, but I couldn't wait to get out there and get some sweet kisses from her. I wondered if she remembers me. Dawn came to a stop, and I realized that most of the hospital's inhabitants were gathered around to see what happens. I shifted from side to side, and Carol reached up to grab my hand again, she could tell I was nervous, but she was too afraid, or, as was likely, too nervous herself to try and reassure me. We didn't have to wait long before we heard footsteps. Then, I saw Rick's face appear in the small window of the door, my hopes soared. 'This is it, I'm going home,' I thought happily, almost missing Dawn's order to holster their weapons.

I smiled slightly when the door opened and Rick and Daryl walked through them. They had Sasha and Tyreese with them and Noah, I was slightly bummed that Glenn and Maggie weren't there, but it wouldn't be long till I saw them... Hopefully. Carol didn't name them among the dead when we'd talked, so I take that as a good sign. Michonne and Carl weren't there either. My pondering caused me to miss the conversation that was held between Dawn and Rick, until Dawn nodded at me and took the wheelchair, having one of her officers push Carol forward until Daryl collected her. Dawn then took hold of my arm and walked forward. The cold feeling of dread filled me once more, and I met Daryl's eyes, he nodded slightly, only for her to see, a slight reassurance.

Dawn let go of my arm and I was able to walk forward, Rick grabbed me and pulled me in for a quick hug and I smiled at him before moving on. I stood next to Daryl and smiled widely up at him. He looked down at me with such a tender look, it made my heart race.

"You alright lil'bit?" He asked softly as we started walking away.

"I'm fine," I whispered back. He nodded and kept his hand on my shoulder until I heard Dawn's voice behind us.

"Now all I need is Noah," she said. My eyes widened and we all turned around.

"That wasn't part of the deal," Rick said lowly. I took a deep breath, Rick didn't know Dawn, didn't know that she wouldn't stop until she had what she wanted.I knew then, I knew what I had to do and I turned to Daryl. I touched his face with my good hand and smiled.

"Daryl," I said softly. "I love you, and I am so glad that you were the one I wound up with after the prison. You've taught me so much, and I hope I made you proud." I turned back around as Noah handed Rick his gun and started walking back towards Dawn. "No!" I said rushing forward. I felt Daryl's hand brush my arm, trying to stop me probably.

"Beth," he hissed. I ignored him and launched myself at Noah, hugging him tightly. Then I faced Dawn, walking towards her until I was right in her face. I smiled, not a nice one either.

"I get it now," I said quietly, nodding slightly. I worked the scissors out of my cast and brought them up and stabbed her, almost silmoutaneousy, a gun went off. There was a flash of pain, and then nothing. Nothing at all.

**~Daryl~**

I watched that bright light in my life, Beth, the girl who taught me that not everyone was bad, the one who gave me faith that we would find our family again.  
>I watched that bright light, the girl who had gone from a depressed teenager, to one who understood how this world works and wanted to change so badly. I watched that bright light go out. Even as she fell, the light went out. Guns went up everywhere, but it was mine that was up quickest, my bullet that went straight through that bitches brain. I was unaware of everything around me, I was too busy staring at her body. Beth... Poor, lovely, innocent Beth. She had changed, changed enough to know that she had to do what she had to do to protect her friends. That's why, that's why she gave her life to assure that Noah got out of this place.<p>

I was vaguely aware of someone dragging my arm down, all too aware of the tears running down my face. 'I love you...' Her last words to him. 'I hope I made you proud...' I walked forward. I'd be damned if I let anyone else carry her out of this place. When I bent down to pick her up, I brushed a strand of red dyed hair from her face and touched her cheek, ignoring all of the blood and gore surrounding us on the floor. She was still warm, I noted as I leaned down to whisper in her ear, not that she could hear me anymore. More for my sake than hers...

"I love you too Beth," it was soft, almost as if I hadn't spoken, but just moved my lips. Then I picked her body up as gently as if trying not to wake a sleeping baby. Oh god, Maggie... what would Maggie think? I was numb the whole way out of the hospital. No one was talking... This had been a shock to everyone. I wasn't even sure if it had really happened, and if Beth's ever growing colder body hadn't been in my arms, I would have believed that it hadn't happened.

_"I'll be gone someday," She'd said outside that old shack._

_"Stop," I had told her._

_"I will," she insisted. "You're gonna be the last man standin'."_

I had grunted and looked at her. She thought too much of me, and I knew it, but some part of me had wanted her too. "You're gonna miss me so bad when I'm gone Daryl Dixon." At the time she'd been smiling, but if only she knew how right she'd been. My chest hurt so bad, and nothing in the mean time would help, I almost wish we hadn't burned up that moonshine shack. Exiting the hospital and stepping out into the light was worse than I imagine it would be. The first thing I saw was Maggie's hopeful face, which soon turned into one of anguish and despite Glenn's efforts, she fell to the ground.

"BETH!" She screamed. It was loud, and hurtful to hear. She stumbled her way to my side and grabbed her sister's hand. Cold now, and limp. She kept whispering Beth's name, like it would wake her up or somethin'. Rick was talking to the side with Abraham, Glenn kept rubbing Maggie's shoulders and whispering sweet nothing in her ear. How I envied the once-upon-a-time pizza boy... He had some to whisper thing to. To hold and to comfort. The one I loved lay in my arms...  
>Never to sing again. Our little songbird... Our bright light... Gone.<p>

Never once did Daryl let go of Beth's body on their ride out of Atlanta. Never once did he speak to anyone. Anyone except Beth. Even though he knew that she couldn't hear him. Knew that she was dead, gone, never coming back. It didn't stop him however from whispering things into her ear. Useless things. Things about him, things about hunting, things he'd observed about her. Anything to keep the rolling wave of hurt at bay.

"I'm glad I didn't say goodbye," he whispered as he lowered her body into the hole that Maggie had dug by herself. She'd refused any and all attempts at help, even yelling at Glenn once. Just as Daryl had refused any help for the precious task of keeping her body safe. "I hate goodbyes." And, as the wind blew, ruffling everyone's unkempt hair, he thought he could just hear her voice.

"Me too."

_***S***_

_**Well, that was just depressing, and judging by the plethora of other stories just like this, everyone is taking Beth's death pretty hard. I for one cannot stop crying. It's horrible that out of all the people who could have died, it was Beth... Anyway, please review and favorite!**_

_*Shimmerz* _


End file.
